New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-06-21
TIE CABINET AND THE ILAGS

loud IL tho law is in that sense strictly enforced
TIE CABINET AND THE ILAGS
| If the President has any sincere and wise
friends, 1t Is time for thcm to interpose with
good advice. 1t is not possible for him to
escape, by any course no can now take. tho
public understanding of his disposition, and
of his feelings with regard to the issue between
treason and loyalty, which his act has produced.
But there is no reason why he should be con-
sidered cowardly falsifer, unless he most
unwisely accepts IA his own tho excuses made
on his behalf by some Of his supporters. Ger
tain of them are now trying to create the i'm
pression that the President was deceived about
the return of the flags that it was not
brought to his attention. that thore were any
rebel flags among those 1t was proposed 20 re-
turn that Acknowledgement Drum was solely
responsible for the blundor and deceived him
in regard to the facts and that the Presidents
assent In hasty conversation was secured by
suppression of the real nature OF the order
proposcd. II would be well for these blunder-
ing friends not to forget the Presidents letter
Of last Thursday to the Secretary OF War, In
which he said:
I have to-day considered with moro caro- than when
tho subject orally presented 10 mo the hcton VI
your Department directing letters to he addre-son
TO the Governors Of all the states offering to RETURN
II desired 10 the loyal States tho Onion flags captured
in tho war OF the Rebellion by the Confederate forces
and afterward recovered by Government troops
and 10 the Confederate States tho flags captured by
tho Union forces am OF 'he opinon un"'
tho return OF these flags In the mabncr thus contcm'
rlated IL not authorized by existing law nor 1usuhed
az an executive act. Any direction rs to tho
final disposition Of them should originate with Congress
This letter explicitly admits that the return
Of rebel flags was "orally presented to- the
President, and was by him considered before
the order was issued All the world knows
that "more care was given to the subject on
Thursday. June 10, than before, because on
Wednesday. June 10. Commander Falrchild.
Governor Foraker and several bodies OF the
Grand Army had strongly expressed indgna-
ton nj tho news nist received Of the contem-
Mated surrender. The outburst Of loyal feel
ing awakened the President TO a realization
that the thing he had consented to do would
be censured by loyal persons everywhere. Then
he gave "the sub Jet" further consideration.
with more care and reached "the opinion
that the return Of these flags is not authorized
by existing law But for the cypress purpose
Of making his Southern friends aware that he
saw no other objection, he added the sentence
at the end of the etter, "Any direction rs TO
the final disposition Of them should originate
with Congress-
In the light Of this letter. the excuses now
made by some friends of the President are seen
10 be both cowardy and false. He understood
what was proposed Just as well at the outset rs
ho does now, and he asscntcd then because he
knew Of no law to prevent the act, just as he
aftcrward withdrew bis assent on the sole
ground that tho law did prohibit ii On this
point an interesting dispatch from Washington
appears In @The World which says
While It is emphaucaly denied at tho White
ouse that the subject was discussed by the Cabinet
before the order 10 return flags given, 1t Is
charged in other quarters with almost equal emphasis
that the Cabinet did discuss the question at length
1t f. alleged by a very good authority that Mr. Endl-
colt brought the matter up at Cabinet meeting and
urged the adoption Of General Drums rccommendi-
ton: that all tho members OF the Cabinet with
exception favored the return Of the flags. The ex-
cer.ion was Postmaster-Generl Villas. who served
In tho Union Army. He Ola not think IL would be
a polite move, but gave In to his associates. 1t l.
also asserted that Bayard the most enthusiast
tic on the subject, going far rs 10 assure
the President that the execution Of the order would
make him name that would i've forever The le-
gality Of this step was referred to tho Attorney
General, who gave IL as his opinion that there
nothing In the law 70 prevent II. The true story
Of how the order came to be issued never Will be
known. Those who are familiar with the Presidents
habits however, say he would not have decided such
an important matter without consulting his cabinet
Adjutant General Drum said repeatedly before the
President rescinded the order that the matter had
been fully discussed by the Cabinet.
II any Of the Presidents super-serviceablo
subordinates at the White House have been
telling untriths about this matter, as some
have in regard TO treaty negotiations and APP
pointmcnts made on many occasions. the truth
will nevertheless become known II members
Of tho Cabinet did advise the step, they certain
ly did not tell AdjutantGcner Drum and
nobody else. would they find it convenient
now to deny what they have said. The Pres
ident himself does not say In his letter whether
the subject was L" orally presented to him in
Cabinet meeting or elsewhere. nor does il much
matter The opinions attributed to Mcssrs
Bayard and Garland are those they would be
most likely to have expressed. But the vital
fact in the whole business is that the President
Of the United States did not know the differ
once between loyal and rebel flag suffi-
GENTLY to see that the latter could not with
dcccncy be returned.
TRAIN ROBBERIRS